As Greater Tampa Bay’s summer hot streak meets its demise, everyone’s favorite macabre holiday begins to lurch from its mausoleum. A year in the grave means a lot of youth trends to catch up on, but Halloween never fails to unearth all the latest pop culture goodness. So how has 2022 influenced this year’s Halloween aesthetic for kids? Gaze upon the horror of this month’s eblast to find out.
Pirates of all stripes
300-ish years have gone by since the Golden Age of Piracy, which means it is now acceptable for children to emulate armed robbers of the time period. The Halloween pirate trend has not seen a surge like this since Jack Sparrow first flopped his hands around on the silver screen. Popular video game ‘Sea of Thieves’ and recent Netflix hit ‘Sea Beast’ are invoking the sea dog in many a kid’s heart.
‘Among Us’ astronauts
‘Among Us’ took the popular “hidden-traitor” mechanic from the board game world and translated it to the computer screen. To say the least, Among Us and its “one-of-us-is-secretly-a-murderous-alien” premise has garnered some serious attention. This Halloween, do not be surprised if small, round astronauts in pajama suits run rampant through the streets.
Buzz Lightyear
In 1995, the unforgettable self-esteem of one purple-capped spaceman was enough to spiral Tom Hanks into a mid-life crisis. This year, plucky astronaut Buzz Lightyear—no longer a toy but a real boy—had his own feature film. Buzz’s big-button astro garb is back, and this Halloween, evil Emperor Zerg will be upping the dosage of his anxiety medication.
Minions
Years ago, presumably after a third glass of wine, some Universal Studios executive placed tiny overalls on a Twinkie. This was clearly a recipe for success, and big-hearted supervillain Gru’s famous henchtwinkies went on to tip-toe, bumble and careen across the screen to the delight of many a youngster. The recent prequel, ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru,’ proves that Twinkies do not expire after all. This Halloween, mischievous minions everywhere will utter, “trick or treat” in a nasal falsetto.
Mirabella (‘Encanto’)
‘Encanto’s’ Mirabella set an incredible example for all girls with overbearing grandmothers. Anything but powerless, the young CGI lady brought warmth, melody, and superhuman grit to audiences this year. Move over, Elsa – there is a new pitch-perfect role model for Halloween damsels in self-solvable distress. But for crying out loud, do not talk about Bruno.
‘Hocus Pocus’ witches
Much like the fiery lead Sanderson sister, Bette Midler’s brazen bouffant is uncontained by the grave. Coming in September, ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ will sate Halloween hankerings of the 1993 original’s diehard fans. And just as the Sandersons sustain themselves on youthful energy, so too will kids give life to witchy, warty costumes this Halloween.
Other Potential Sightings on All Hallow’s Eve
Few holiday retailers are quite so iconic as Spirit Halloween, drifting into empty buildings as public morbidity rises and ghosting them sometime in early November. As a trendsetter, Spirit is essential to observing fresh Halloween habits among kids. Here are a few more costumes that will be making the rounds according to Spirit:
- Bluey, the titular cartoon dog from Disney Junior’s ‘Bluey’
- Various members of the superheroic ‘Incredibles’ family from the Pixar film
- Cowboy hats and dino masks from ‘Dino Ranch,’ the “prewestoric” kids’ show on Disney Junior
- Gun-toting cartoon soldiers from the smash-hit video game ‘Fortnite’
- Ladybug and Cat Noir, the superhero duo from Netflix series ‘Miraculous’
